Shadows of Gravity Falls: Book One
by TheWeirdWeirdo
Summary: WKH GUHDPHU'V VXQ. Secrets…secrets…secrets…SO MANY SECRETS! Secrets of darkness, betrayal, sorrow and grief plague the forest and town of Gravity Falls. Secrets of the true shadows that haunt this small town in Oregon. A story of sons and daughters, family, cousins, lovers, and Seekers. A story of what lies within the forest. A story of not just shadows, but of light, as well...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Saturday, April 18th, 2015**

Nine year old Stephen hated when people called him Stevie. He didn't know why, it was just a thing of his. All his life he's had people calling him that, _Stevie. _His mom told him that it was no big deal, but it was a deal for him. Just a little fun fact about him.

He was outside the arcade, waiting for his friend, David. He waited, but after an hour of waiting, he knew that David wasn't going to come. Gravity Falls was a very small town, and it didn't take someone and hour to get somewhere. Stephen decided to give David a chance and he waited for half an hour, but when that time expired, he left for home. Sure, he could have gone inside the arcade, but Stephen wasn't a big fan of arcades, and the only reason he went there was because David loved the arcade. He went home once the whole business at the arcade was over .

He entered through the front door of his home, and saw his mom watching TV. When she noticed him, she quickly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

_What does she watch? _He thought.

"Hey, you're home early," his mom was neither tall nor short, and she kept her blonde hair long, but tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were blue and she had noticeable bags underneath her eyes.

"David didn't show up".

"Try calling him," his mom suggested "maybe there was a good reason he couldn't go. Maybe he got sick".

"Ok!" now that he recalled it, for the past few days, Stephen noticed that David didn't look his best. Maybe he did get sick. They made the plans to go to the arcade yesterday, and someone could get sick overnight.

His mother gave him the phone number of David's house and he dialed it. There was no answer.

"No answer".

"Try again later," his mom said. He tried again later, and still there was no answer. _Oh well, _he thought. After all, it wasn't a big loss. But he did want to spend the afternoon with his best friend. He went to his room to watch TV, while his mom was getting ready for a date she had. Stephen didn't like that his mom was dating again, because his father would come back some day, but it was her own decision. You see, around a year ago, his father went into the forest for his daily nature walk, but he never returned. A search party was sent out, but they couldn't find him. The sheriff and his dimwitted deputy basically told him that he had run off, but Stephen knew better. His dad was somewhere out there.

"I'm going on this date to humor the guy who asked me," she told him when Stephen complained. But he felt that it was more that, like she believed his dad, her husband, wouldn't come back, and that she has to move on.

_No! _He thought, _he'll be back someday, I just know it. _

Around eight o'clock in the night, his mother was getting ready to leave for her date.

"Alright, Stephen," she began "are you sure that you can stay alone for a couple of hours. You don't need a babysitter?"

"I'll be fine, mom," he replied.

"What do you do if there's an emergency?" she asked, worried.

"Call 9-1-1," he replied "and go to our neighbor, Ms. Campbell, and from there, call you".

"Alright, alright," she said to herself. "Now, I'm going to be back by midnight, so don't open the door to anyone while I'm gone…unless it's Ms. Campbell, because she's going to check in on you later in the night. Alright, be careful, sweetie," she said, kissing him in his cheek and left out the door.

It felt weird, being home alone for the first time. He sat down on the couch and watched TV. And he was in luck; there was a marathon of his favorite cartoon show. He made himself a bowl of cereal, and he ate it while he was watching the shenanigans of the cartoon's characters.

Around 9:00 pm, there was a knock on the door. He looked through the peephole and saw that it was Ms. Campbell, a friend of his mom.

"Your mom told me to check on you," she said "everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine," he replied.

And around 10:00 pm, the phone rang. He went to answer it.

"Hello?" There was no answer. He hung up. A minute later, it rang again. "Hello?" There was a deep breathing coming from the other end of the line. Stephen was about to hang up when he heard a voice on the other end of the line. It was David.

_Hey, Stevie, _that was David alright, _I'm sorry that I didn't make to the arcade. Something…came up. _

"I called you two times earlier," Stephen said "why didn't someone answer?"

_I told you, something came up, _David replied, _so, umm, yesterday, I found something in the forest during the night. I was going out to check out again, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. I'll meet you outside your house. _

"Did your parents let you?"

_They don't need to know, _David continued, _so, what do you say? _

"Gee, I don't know," Stephen said "my mom's not home, and…"

_Come on, it's something quick, _David said, _it's not that deep into the forest. We can get in and out in thirty minutes. _

It was something tempting. After a while, he said yes to David's plan. "With one condition".

"Yeah, sure," David said "what is it?"

"Stop calling me Stevie," Stephen requested "you can call me either Stephen or Steve, but not Stevie".

_Alright…Steve, _Stephen was glad that David agreed to it, _so, I'll come around your house in a bit. Bring a jacket or something. _

"Ooh, and one other thing," Stephen said "what was with that breathing earlier?"

_Just me messing around with you, _David laughed. The phone hung up and Stephen went to get his jacket. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Stephen went to answer it. It was David.

David was around two months older than Stephen. He was a little chubby, and his hair was a reddish-brown. The two of them became quick friends in the day the met, and there wasn't any issue in their friendship up until the arcade thing. And even that wasn't a big deal.

"Ready?" David said "I brought a flashlight," he said, holding up a flashlight. David held up another flashlight, and gave it to Stephen. He followed David all the way. They reached the forest, which had a creepy tone to it. Stephen became a little nervous, but David wasn't, so that gave him a little confidence. After a few minutes of having entered the forest, David said "Alright…here's where I found that thing I told you about".

"Where is it?" Stephen asked.

"Look in the fallen tree trunks," David said "I wanted to take it home with me, but I didn't budge. Maybe you can help me with it?"

"Sure thing," Stephen gladly replied "so, umm, dude, there's only one fallen tree trunk. Is it in there?"

"Sure," David said, heading to the fallen tree trunk. He crouched and peeked inside the hollow trunk "yup, it's still there. Have a look-see look".

Stephen knelt and peeked into the trunk. "Dude, there's nothing in…"

He felt a blow behind his head. It knocked him out cold and his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes again, he was being dragged across the forest floor. He felt his nose was bleeding. It was still dark. David was the one who was dragging him.

"David?" he said weakly "what…what's going on?"

"I'm so sorry," he said, sobbing "I'm so, so sorry. There's no other way".

"No other way for what?" Stephen was confused, in pain, and weak. David kept dragging him for a while until they arrived at some place with strange rock formations. They looked like ruins of old buildings.

_What's happening? _He thought, _I should have stayed at home. What if Ms. Campbell went to check up on me? I'm in so much trouble. _But the trouble he was going to get in with his mom didn't matter at this point. What mattered was to know why David was dragging him along the forest floor…and how he could get away. _It'll be tough_, because he felt weak at this point, and David was stronger than he was. "Get up," David said, and from the moonlight, Stephen saw that David's eyes were red from crying. '

"What's going on, David?" Stephen pleaded "please, tell me, you're my friend!"

He stayed quiet for a moment, and then said "I'm so sorry," David said and then turned around "I brought him. Now, do you promise you won't hurt my family?"

A figure, dressed in black, emerged. He was a tall and lean man, with brown hair, but in this light, it seemed black, and he wore glasses. He had a beard. "Good work, David," he spoke in a British accent "I will keep my promise; you and your family are safe. Now go and leave this one to me".

David left, with Stephen calling out to him, but his so-called 'friend' didn't reply. Stephen turned to the British man, and he felt a sense of fright and dread. Something that the man sensed.

"Don't be scared," the British man said "soon the pain will be over. You'll be free of this world. However, sadly, the price for this is…something steep".

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, choking up.

"I'm truly sorry," the British man explained "but this is for the" the man snapped his finger, thinking of what word to use "…greater good of the world. Tell me, did you have dreams of what would you be as an adult?"

"Yes". He wanted to be an archeologist, travelling the world, studying about the ancient past.

"Abandon those dreams," the man drew a knife "you are completely irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, to the greater struggle. Oh, and when you see your father, tell him that 'Riley sends his regards'. Because…I'm Riley". The cold knife made its way across his neck. He fell to the ground, choking on his own blood.

The last thing he heard was Riley, the British man, speaking in a strange language.

**ZHOFRPH EDFN WR JUDYLWB IDOOV**


	2. Selena I

**I**

**SELENA, the Last Seeker**

Selena had never lived a normal life. She spent all her life living in a training facility under the disguise of a Catholic school in Washington D.C. And in that training facility, she was raised by the Seeker Order and she trained in sword fighting, medical training and even magical training. And why? To protect the world from anything that would harm it. She trained and trained for years, following family tradition, as her father was a Seeker, and her grandfather was also one, and her great-grandfather was also one, and so one. She was the first woman to be a Seeker in her family ever since the days of her ancestor, Joan of Arc. She was glad to be a Seeker, but it was also sad. Sad because she was the last of the order, as far as she knew. She hated recalling the events that occurred twenty years ago. The brutal carnage. And another thing about her being a Seeker was that she dreamed, a lot…

_She stood amidst darkness…there was a chicken…an eel…red eyes staring down on her…there was a massive fire, burning a city…death…dreams…a pyramid with an eye and a hat, very dashing…she saw a great black book, and three lesser, burgundy red ones, 1,2,3…a map of Iraq…blood seeping from the walls of the Vale…a man dressed in red and white, covered in…he was dying…another man, dressed in black….an astrolabe…four amongst five thousand…voices of the old spirits…spiraling down and down until… _

"AAAAAH!" She woke up screaming. She was panting and covered in sweat; her hair was damp with it. Her heart was racing, beating hard against her chest. She took off her sweat damped clothes, all of them, throwing them on the floor, and she laid naked on her bed. The blanket she used to cover herself with was on the floor, and her sheets were all a mess. She'd been tossing and turning in her sleep. She grabbed a pillow and pressed it to her face, uttering a scream so loud that she probably would have woken up her neighbors if the pillow wasn't there to muffle the scream out. She removed the pillow from her face and threw it across the room, which landed in her dresser, and knocked over her table lamp.

"Ah, dammit!" she yelled. This dream caused her to be furious for a reason she didn't knew. Seekers got many dreams during the night, mostly prophetic dreams, but the thing was that they couldn't remember completely. Same thing applied to visions as well. Selena laid down on the bed again, and waited to calm down. Once she was calm, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She wanted to take a shower, and bad. She got in, lighting a lilac scented candle, which soothed her, and turned on the water. She waited for it to warm up and once it did, she climbed in, water washing over her shoulder-length black hair and over her body.

"Keep it together, Selena," she said to herself "keep it together. After all, you don't want to end up like…like…Henry VIII or someone like that". (Henry VIII was once a Seeker, but he ended up falling from grace, becoming a lustful and egotistical king and driven mad from the dreams).

She took a long and relaxing shower. Once she was done, she came out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around her body, and dried her hair with another one, since she hated hair dryers. She went to her room, where she changed. After putting on underwear, she put on dark blue jeans, a pair of socks, an olive-green shirt and a reddish-brown leather jacket. She checked her alarm clock. It was around seven in the morning, a little early but Selena was always an early bird.

She went to her living room, walking across the carpeted floor. She sat down on the couch, and turned on the television. She watched the news first. And it troubled her.

_Iran formally declares war against Israel, but no military action has taken place…_one reporter said.

_A series of murders occur throughout the states of New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut…_another one said.

_Throughout the southern United States and northern Mexico, sheep are being found completely slaughtered…_

_Yesterday at midnight, a failed assassination attempt took place against the president of France… _

Selena saw more dire and troubling news. Then she changed from the national news broadcasts to the local broadcast, done by news reporter, Shandra Jimenez. The news still featured the boy named Stephen, who disappeared around the middle of April.

_As of now, _the reporter said, _there has been no trace of Stephen Wright. The search party has been called off, leaving the boy's mother distraught. _

She felt sorry for the boy and for his mother. As a mother, Selena would be a mess if anything happened to her daughter, April. And speaking of her, April was arriving tomorrow for her summer vacation. Selena hoped she wouldn't get one of her 'fits' like the one that happened earlier. She reminded herself to think of ways on how to explain it to April if it should happen again.

After she was done watching the news, she changed the channel. As she surfed the channels, she stumbled upon an episode of 'Duck-tective". She always enjoyed watching that. Once the show over, an episode of 'Tiger Fist' went on, and she changed the channel, since she didn't like that show. She continued watching TV until the moment her stomach rumbled. So she made herself some French toast for breakfast. And once she was done with her breakfast, she went on a cleaning spree. She cleaned her entire house, preparing for April's arrival by bus tomorrow in the morning. She thought on what she would do with her daughter but she wouldn't smother her with activities every single day. April was more of a 'doing things on my own' person. Other mothers helped their kids do their homework, or helping them do a project; not April. All of her class assignments were done by her and her alone. The only thing that Selena or her husband, Mr. Davies, had helped April with was getting the supplies she needed. And Selena liked that. She could safely say that April was her daughter.

She and April never did much things together, but in previous summers, they had enough time to catch up on things and bond together.

She was divorced, because there was a lack for commitment from her husband, and because, during the time she was married, she was mentally unstable, so she went into more of her 'fits', which frightened her husband and her daughter. So, she and her husband split. Selena insisted that April stay with her father and come visit her mother during at some part of the year. She chose this because her Seeker job was too dangerous. During the past three years, she's lived in twenty different cities. The enemy would always track her down, but so far, she's escaped them in Gravity Falls.

Once she was done with the cleaning, she received a vision. _Endless and bloody war, she saw…the forest of Gravity. Fa…a man, dressed in red and white…GO TO THE FOREST! GO TO OROTAWA. _

She was tempted. No, not tempted, more like something was pulling at her to go. It gnawed on her for a half-hour before she gave in. After all, she had plenty of time to come back home. Unless, well…she got killed by a creature.

Before she left, she went back into her now clean bedroom, and opened her closet. Inside it, there was a switch. She pressed it, and a door opened. She stepped inside to find her 'inner sanctum'. There were weapons racks, and an armor rack, shelves lined with books, relics and artifacts, among other things. In the middle of the room, there was a large map of Gravity Falls and the surrounding forest, mountains, rivers, cliffs, etc. She went to her armor rack and armed herself with a black steel chest plate above a coat of mail. She put on bracers, boots, greaves and gloves. She strapped a white cloak on. The cloak wasn't for much, it just made her look cool. She went towards her weapons. She had it all; crossbows, rocket launchers, swords, katana swords, grenades, stilettos, daggers, throwing knives, a Swiss army knife, a _bō _staff, among other weapons. Maybe she went overboard with the weapons. She only grabbed her longsword.

Once she was done preparing herself, she left her 'inner sanctum' and closed the door shut. She headed to her backyard, and jumped over the fence. She didn't want anyone seeing her.

The forest of Gravity Falls was beautiful and creepy at the same time. The sun was blocked by the canopy of the trees. Birds were singing their songs in unison (except one, who was off-key). She saw the gnomes, who were her friends and allies. She had many allies in the forest, and these allies were allies of the Seekers for a long time. They continued helping her even after what happened twenty years ago because they knew she couldn't do things on her own. And she was grateful for that. She even saw the gnomes' leader, Jeff.

"Why, hello there, Selena," Jeff took out an engagement ring "would you…"

"Dammit, no, Jeff! Sorry about that. I like you and all, and we've shared a laugh or two, but I'm already a married woman," she lied. Every one of her allies in the forest, from the wisps to the manotaurs, and even the sly trolls, knew that she was divorced. Well, all of them, but the gnomes. She was luck that the gnomes didn't visit her. She could keep the lie alive.

"It can't hurt to try," Jeff put away the ring.

"Both you and me know that it could," Selena said, gripping the hilt of her sword "I'm kidding, kidding!" She said when Jeff got anxious.

"So what brings you out here, in the middle of the woods?"

"Just a stroll, and if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it".

"If it's just a stroll," Jeff said "then why are you wearing your armor?"

"I'm out of clean clothes," Selena lied again "also, I like how the armor makes me look..."

"Hot?"

"I was going to say 'intimidating to the evil creatures that live in the forest', geesh!" Selena said "aren't there any girl gnomes?"

"If they were," Jeff began "don't you think there would already be a queen".

"Good point. Well, I have to go now," Selena said and said goodbye to the gnome.

She continued on her way until she reached the ruins of Orotawa. The site was built by the orotaw people, an ancient culture that lived in the western coasts of the United States from around 10,000 BC, to 5454 BC. Orotawa was the first settlement to be built, constructed around 10'000 BC, but abandoned for an unknown reason. The Seeker Order was studying the site but then the order was wiped out twenty years ago, and so the study of Orotawa ended. Selena would love to continue it, but she didn't have the means to do so. She arrived at the ruins, and there, she received another vision.

_An endless pool of water, amidst the Island of Eyes…dawning sun burns so bright…lies, deceiving…treachery...the red crow soars high in the sky… _

"If I only knew what these dreams and visions mean," Selena said to herself "it would make my life so much easier. Hmm, I'm going to buy some coffee cookies when I get back. I think April likes those. What was I saying? Oh, right. I would love to fully remember my dreams. Maybe there's a way that hasn't been discovered yet".

Orotawa was divided into three sections; the outer circle, which was where the people lived; the second circle, where the rulers and the priests lived, and then there was the Temple Hill, the most sacred spot of the ruins. And there was smoke coming from the Hill. Someone, or something was there. She headed towards the Hill, walking among old and ruined structures. There was rubble and debris in the ground, and there was a lot of undergrowth, which covered a lot of the ruins. There was grass growing from the cracks.

She reached the path that led to the top of the Hill. The path was all dirt and mud, and her boots squished with every step she took. As she went further up the path, the air got humid and stuffy. As she got closer to the top, she drew her sword and held it tight. The blade was made of fire steel, which was normal steel but embedded with some extra substances that originated from the inside of Mount St. Helens. The sword gave off a dim red light and the hilt was black as ebony wood. It was a beautiful sword. It was Joan of Arc's sword. She arrived at the top of the hill. At the center of the hill, there was a man before a fire. He seemed to be tall, and he was covered by a blanket made from deer hide. "Hello?" she said, pointing the sword at the man "what are you doing here?"

The man turned and faced her. "Oh, hello".

"Get up!" she said "come on".

The man stood up. It looked like the man was naked underneath the blanket. "By any chance, do you have some extra clothes with you? I woke up…well…naked. Good thing I found this blanket".

"Woke up?" she asked "I'll find out later. You're coming with me".

The man didn't argue, didn't say anything. He went willingly…with a joyful smile. Selena led him back to her home, which was probably a mistake, but she didn't have anywhere else to send him. She thought about the motel in town, but people would get suspicious about seeing a man, with no clothes, covered by only a deer hide blanket. She would get him clothes, and then check him in a motel. They arrived home through the backyard, and they jumped over the fence. She sheathed her sword before making the hop. When this strange man hopped over, the blanket got stuck on the fence. He landed without it.

Selena looked away.

"The blanket, the blanket" she said "the blanket got stuck on the fence".

"Oh! So it did," the man replied "alright, there. It's back on". Selena looked back and saw that the man was wrapped with the blanket again.

"Alright, come inside". And they went inside Selena's home.

"Lovely home you have," Deer Hide Man was what Selena was going to call him until she learned his name.

"Thank you," Selena replied.

"Do you have some clothes I can use?"

"I don't think my clothes are going to fit you," Selena said "but maybe's there something I can find for you. Maybe I can make something out of towels". Selena went into her room and looked around. Fortunately (and conveniently) she found some of her husband's clothes in her closet. He forgot them when he left after his visit with April for Christmas (usually she would have gone to her husband's home for Christmas). It was only some pants, a shirt, and pajama pants. And…

_What's this? _She thought, _boxers. _She would wash them later. She went back to Deer Hide Man.

"This is an unusual house for the time," he said "well, Gravity Falls hasn't always been a normal place".

_Time? _She thought. "Yes, well," she said "I found these in my closet. I just need to wash something. It'll be quick".

"Thank you…umm," he said "what's your name, so I may thank you properly".

"Name's Selena Davies," she replied "and yours?"

"Daniel Miller," he said "pleasure to meet you. And thank you for the clothes". Selena sent him to the bathroom so that he could change. While she waited, she wondered so many things about him. And she put te boxers in the washing machine. Once Daniel was done changing, Selena went to her room to take off her armor and change into something more comfortable. As she changed, she decided to keep Daniel as a guest. They had dinner together. She watched him closely. Daniel was tall, around the same height as her husband (no wonder the clothes fit). He was muscular, with long and messy chestnut hair and a stubbly chin. What caught her attention more was that his right eye was green and his left eye was blue. Later in the night, Selena spread some sheets on her couch so that he could sleep in it.

"Good night," she said to him.

"Until the morrow".

Selena went back to her room and changed into her sleeping clothes. She climbed into bed, feeling awkward that there was a stranger sleeping her room. She felt like playing host, however. Before she fell asleep, she came up with an excuse to tell April about Daniel tomorrow. "He's an old friend," she said "he needs a place to stay because he just lost his job...and his home" She fell asleep, and she got a vision.

_The Island of Eyes stood in the distance…thunder boomed overhead…BANG BANG BANG…her daughter stood there, holding a…_The vision ended there and she woke up at seven. And like her other two dreams, she didn't remember them completely.

9:00 AM was the time she was going to pick up her daughter at the bus stop. She was done with her breakfast and grabbed her purse. Daniel also finished his breakfast. Selena told him about her excuse. "Oh, a lie," he said "fascinating. Oh, and Selena, I want to say thank you for letting me stay the night," Daniel said.

"Well, you're welcome," Selena said "now don't leave this house. If you'll excuse me, I have to pick up my daughter from the bus station".

**HQG RI WKH FKDSWHU**

**(AUTHOR'S NOTE) ****_Thanks to everyone who's read this story. It's not yet complete (a bit obvious), so there's still more coming your way. I would greatly appreciate any feedback and any sort of constructive criticism for my work. The entire story is taking place in Gravity Falls and you'll see it through the eyes of Selena, Daniel, Dipper, Mabel, and even Gideon. And a couple of more, but you'll find out as the story goes on. Stay safe, don't do drugs, don't text while driving and stay in school. _**

**_ Yours truly, TheWeirdWeirdo_**

**_P.S. You've probably noticed that I'm using cryptograms. I'll be using Caesar cipher, Atbash cipher and the _****A1Z26 ****_substitution cipher. _**


	3. Mabel I

**II**

**MABEL, the Twin Sister**

Once they said goodbye to their parents, Mabel, Dipper, and their cousin, Adah, (and Waddles as well) climbed onboard the _Speedy Beaver _bus that would take them to Gravity Falls. It was around 10:00 pm and they would be arriving around nine in the morning tomorrow. They handed their tickets to the bus.

"Just make sure that pig of yours behaves," the bus driver said.

"Don't worry," Mabel said "he will behave".

"I hate buses," her cousin told them before they climbed onboard the bus. Adah wasn't from Piedmont, unlike Mabel and Dipper; no, she was from Chula Vista in San Diego County. Adah was of average height, with black hair (which she got from her mother) and she had a few strands of it the color blue. Her skin was fair and her eyes were a pretty hazel color. She also had good hips. She was wearing jeans, a purple sweater and a beret. She was carrying her guitar case and in her backpack, she had her flute and her ocarina; she loved to play instruments.

"Why?" Dipper had asked. Over the course of the last three years, Dipper got taller, and was now taller than Mabel. His hair grew messier and he still had bags underneath his eyes. He carried a backpack in which he kept the books he wanted to read…and reread as well. All three Journals were his now. He obtained two of them during the first summer at Gravity Falls, and the other one he obtained a year after. It was safekeeping, to prevent the books from falling into the wrong hands. Dipper still wore the white and blue pine tree hat, and right now, he was wearing a black shirt underneath a flannel shirt, dark blue pants and black sneakers.

"Because they get too crowded," Adah had begun "they make too much noise; I hate noise. That doesn't mean I don't like sound. I love sound, especially the sound of my guitar, my flute and my ocarina". She'd taken out her ocarina from her backpack and played a couple of notes.

The three (and Waddles) made their way to take a seat.

"Well Adah," Dipper said "I don't think you have to be worried about an overcrowded bus". The bus was empty except for the four of them. Well, there was also one girl sitting at the back of the bus. She was short, with brown hair that was braided and stormy grey eyes. She also had high cheekbones and fair skin. She also had a pair of earrings that seemed to be in the shape of a bird.

"I know only one person who has earrings like that," Adah said. She set down her bags and her backpack in one seat before approaching the girl.

"April, is that you?"

The girl, who was playing around with her phone, looked up. "How 'bout that," the girl said "Adah! What are you doing here?"

"Going to Gravity Falls for the summer," Adah explained "staying with my great-uncle".

"Same reason," April said "I'm going to stay with mom for the summer. So, umm, who are your friends?"

"My cousins," Adah replied "Mabel and Dipper. And as you can see, there twins".

"Hello!" Mabel said.

"Hey," Dipper said.

"You know you can continue with your introductions while sitting down," the bus driver said "so please take your seats".

Mabel, Dipper and Adah took their seats at the back of the bus alongside April. Waddles just laid down beneath the seats. The bus driver began driving and they were no longer in the bus central, and they were beginning the long trip to Gravity Falls, Oregon. The bus driver turned on lights on the back of the bus, so it wasn't very dark. They made a stop at a 7-Eleven and they bought some snacks. Time passed and April ended up asking Dipper a question about him.

"What kind of name is Dipper?" she asked.

"He's got this birthmark," Mabel said; she tugged at Dipper's arm "come on, show her the birthmark".

"Alright, alright," Dipper said, taking off his hat and lifting his bangs, revealing the _Big Dipper _birthmark on his forehead, which he kept concealed. The birthmark made him the object of ridicule for years until he began hiding it.

"Yup, there it is," April said.

"And Dipper is a nickname," Dipper explained "my real name is…" he told April his real name. A few minutes passed before April suggested that they should tell ghost stories. Each of them told a story; Adah told one that happened to her mother when she was a girl. Dipper told a Mexican legend but he told it in such a way that it sent chills down Mabel's spine. Mabel didn't knew a lot of ghost stories, so she improvised and did a pretty good job at it. But the best one was April's story. She told it in such a way, in such a way that freaked Mabel out. And not just Mabel, but also Dipper and Adah. It was eerie. It made Mabel grab Waddles from underneath the seat and hold him for comfort. The story made the hairs on Mabel's neck stand up.

"Whoa," Adah said "I've been on slumber parties with you April, and you always tell the best stories, but this one. I got to say, you've outdone yourself".

"And it happened to my grandfather," April explained "true story".

They talked about other things, such as how Mabel got Waddles. But they were all getting tired. April was the first one to fall asleep. Then it was Adah. Mabel rested her head on Dipper's shoulders and closed her eyes. Waddles was lying beside her, and was no longer beneath the seats. She didn't remember her dreams.

Mabel woke up. It was still dark outside, but it was before sunrise. The bus wasn't moving. "Hey," she said "what's going on?"

"The bus stopped," Dipper said "the driver's trying to get it starting again". Everyone else was wide awake, except Waddles who was still sleeping and sleeping like a baby. It then got very cold.

"Alright," Adah said. The driver had turned on the lights again, and Mabel could see Adah's breath. Hers too. And Dipper as well. And April too. "I woke up, and it was warm, maybe a little cool, but it wasn't this cold". Adah grabbed a jacket from her bags and put it on, but she was still very cold. They all grabbed jackets or sweaters, and still they felt cold.

"Damn bus won't start," the driver said "come on, you piece of junk, work".

"Hey," April said "you hear that?"

There was something walking outside the side of the bus. Whatever it was, it was growling. Mabel sat by the window to take a peak. The window was completely fogged up, so she couldn't see much. She saw the figure of a person, but the only thing she made out was a pair of deer antlers. That's when the sky began to brighten up and the cold went away and so did the figure with the deer antlers. The driver told them that he needed to call a buddy of his and bring something that could help him get the bus going again. He told them that they would be arriving at Gravity Falls at noon or later. Around 9:00, April received a phone call.

"Hello?" she said "yeah, about that. The bus is delayed so we'll be arriving at around noon or later. Yeah, okay. Bye, mom".

Dipper and Mabel called their parents, and Adah called hers, and told them that they would be arriving late. They called Grunkle Stan, who was still at the Mystery Shack, and told him the same. "I'll send Soos to pick you kids up," he said over the phone.

The bus driver's buddy arrived and looked to see what the problem with the bus was. Something was stuck in the engine. A deer antler. Once that was cleared, the driver turned on the bus again and he continued with the drive.

"Wasn't someone outside the bus earlier," April said.

"Yeah," Mabel said "I looked outside the window and saw someone. I think he was a person, but he, or she, had deer antlers".

"Deer antlers?" Dipper said "you sure?"

"Do I hate 'Smile Dip'?" she asked Dipper.

"Yes," he answered.

"There's your answer."

"Smile Dip?" April asked "wasn't that a type of candy that got banned here in America?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Mabel said.

As she sat on the bus seat, with Waddles lying on her lap, she was wondering about what she saw outside the bus earlier. The mood of the bus changed from a happy one to an anxious one. Though it changed back again around an hour before they arrived at Gravity Falls. It was a great time they spent on the bus, except for the cold thing that happened earlier in the morning. But that was behind them now. So far, their summer kicked off in a great. And just like the bus driver said, they arrived around noon.

"Here we are," he said "Gravity Falls, Oregon". Each of them grabbed their own things and got off the bus.

"Guess we'll be seeing each other around," April said. She walked towards a woman, who Mabel assumed was April's mother. The woman was short and thin, with shoulder length black hair, pale skin, and olive-green eyes.

"So, who's picking us up?" Adah asked.

"Soos," Dipper said "he works at our great uncle's...I was going to say 'business', but I'll use the word 'tourist trap'".

The _Speedy Beaver _left, but soon came a truck, that wasn't in the best of conditions. Soos was driving it.

"Sup, dudes!" he said.

"Hey, Soos," both Mabel and Dipper said. "We've missed you," Mabel said. Soos got off his truck and helped them put their bags in the back of his truck.

"So, who's she?" Soos asked.

"Our cousin," Mabel said "Adah, Soos. Soos, Adah".

"Hello," Adah said. "Nice to meet you". The four of them (and Waddles) got on Soos' truck and he drove them to the Mystery Shack. As she sat in the truck, Mabel's thought went back to the thing that was outside the bus. Her mind blanked and she daydreamed a little. In her daydream, she was in the middle of a forest, which was covered completely in snow and even more snow fell from the sky. It was so cold. And in the distance, she saw something coming her way. It was a person, or it seemed like one. And it had deer antlers.

**LW'V D PBWK RI WKH DOJRQTXLDQ SHRSOHV**


End file.
